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Watch Me Grow Early Learning Centre
wantirna@watchmegrow.com.au | (03) 9801 2676
1 Alderford Drive, Wantirna, Victoria 3152
SERVICE INFORMATION
Our 29-place service caters for children aged 4 months to school age. We are open from 7.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday, 51 weeks of the year. We are closed for one week between Christmas Day and New Years Day (dates subject to change every year depending which day of the week Christmas falls) and closed on all Victorian public holidays. Notice will be given on our observation platform Kinderloop when these days occur.
We have 4 classrooms at our Wantirna location:
Lilly Pilly (Nursery): 4 - 18 months
Banksia (Toddler): 18 months - 3 years
Waratah (Junior Kinder) 3 - 4 years
Wattle (Kinder): 4 – 5 years
Room numbers are flexible and subject to change depending on demand from families.
We offer a funded kindergarten program for three and four year old's.
We engage in family grouping morning and afternoon and have a shared outdoor play area, encouraging children of all ages to engage together and build friendships. This also allows siblings to play together.
FEE STRUCTURE
Our fee structure is as follows:
Standard Daily Fee - 11 hour session
Full Time Daily Fee - 10 hour session
Kinder Funding Fee - 2 days four-year-old, 1 day three-year-old
Orientation Fee - 4 hour session
Holiday Fee – 50% off two weeks a year
Contact the service for up to date daily fee costs.
Childcare Subsidy (CCS) is then applied and you will only be responsible for paying the gap fee on your child/ren's booked days. Please ensure you have already registered your child with Centrelink before enrolment. Upon enrolment we will also need the CRN numbers for yourself and your child so we can register attendance and ensure that you are receiving the maximum entitlement.
Our accounts are charged weekly via Direct Debit for the current week of fees, not two weeks in advance like some other services. What this means is we require two weeks’ notice of any changes to bookings i.e. dropping days, ending enrolment, casual days, holiday dates etc. If two weeks’ notice is not given you will be charged an extra two weeks of fees after your child’s last day.
WHAT IS CHILDCARE SUBSIDY (CCS)?
"The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that Australian families are able to access affordable, flexible and high quality child care. The Government provides a number of subsidies and programs to help with the cost of child care, with the Child Care Subsidy being the main type of assistance that most families will use. To be eligible for the Child Care Subsidy the following requirements must be met: ï‚·
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the child must be a ‘Family Tax Benefit child’ or ‘regular care child’
2. the child must be 13 or under and not attending secondary school
3. the child must meet immunisation requirements ï‚·
4. the person claiming the Child Care Subsidy, or their partner, must meet residency requirements and be liable to pay for care provided under a Complying Written Arrangement (their written agreement) with their child care provider ï‚·
5. child care must be provided by an approved provider in Australia and not be part of a compulsory education program, for example school.
There are exemptions for individuals who genuinely cannot meet some eligibility requirements.
How much can a family receive? The level of subsidy a family receives will depend on three factors: ï‚· Income – a family’s (both partners) combined income ï‚·
Activity test – what activities the individual and their partner undertake or exemptions that might apply and ï‚· Service type – the type of approved child care service used, for example Centre Based Day Care
For more information, visit: https://www.dese.gov.au/child-care-subsidy
ADDITIONAL CHILDCARE SUBSIDY (ACCS)
The Additional Child Care Subsidy is a top up payment in addition to the Child Care Subsidy which will provide targeted additional fee assistance to families and children who need extra support. The Additional Child Care Subsidy has four elements: ï‚·
child wellbeing ï‚·
grandparents ï‚·
temporary financial hardship ï‚·
transition to work.
ORIENTATION
Orientation is an important start for your child and family to connect to our service. Once a bond payment has been made and enrolment paperwork is complete, you will receive 2 orientation days. These orientation days are are 4 hours, usually 10:00am – 2:00pm, however, we are flexible with the four-hour time depending on your child’s routine. We encourage each child to attend the two times before they start their first official day with us. This gives you and your child the opportunity to gain an understanding of our program, the lay out of the room, where to find things, provide Educators with additional information about your child and how we can best support their transition and settling period. We are also happy to offer more orientation sessions if you and/or we feel that your child needs that extra support to settle in their new environment.
Ideally, your child will be settled at an activity before you leave, however some children find it hard to settle until their parents have gone. What works best is a set routine so try to establish the day routine from the orientation process. Being well organised and avoiding a rush usually results in a calm start to the day. Most children will want to have a look around first to see who else has arrived and to look at what activities are available. Please tell your child when you are leaving as they may become upset if they haven’t had the opportunity to say goodbye. This gains trust from the child, not only in you but in the Educator who is reassuring your child about their day and when you will return. Rest assured that we will ring you if your child is distressed and you are free to call and check in anytime throughout the day.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN MY FEES?
FRESH AND WHOLESOME MEALS
We rotate a through fortnightly seasonal menu and provide
the following five meals per day:
Breakfast - 7:00am onwards
Morning Tea - 9:30am
Lunch - 11:30am
Afternoon Tea - 2:30pm
Late Snack - 4:30pm
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All menu items are prepared with low fat varieties of milk and dairy products.
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All menu items are high in fibre and low in fat, sugar and salt
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Menus are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Children & Adolescents in Australia
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Menus are based on the recommended food groups and serving sizes as outlined in the Nutrition Checklist for Long Day Care Menu Planning
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All meals are served with water.
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All meals are flexible and progressive where possible.
Menu examples available upon request.
Families just need to provide any formula or breast milk.
WE ARE
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the invisible killer that you can't see or feel. UV radiation can be high even on cool and overcast days. This means you can't rely on clear skies or high temperatures to determine when you need to protect yourself from the sun. The UV Index is a tool you can use to protect yourself from UV radiation. It tells you the time during the day that you need to be SunSmart. Sun protection times are issued by the Bureau of Meteorology when the UV Index is forecast to reach 3 or above. At that level, it can damage your skin and lead to skin cancer.
EDUCATOR QUALIFICATIONS
We have a diverse team of educators with various qualifications including Trainee Educators, Certificate III Assistant Educators, Diploma Qualified Lead Educators and a Bachelor Qualified Early Childhood Teacher. All Educators have valid Victorian Employee Working With Children Check's and have completed the first aid course HLTAID004 - provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting. Educators are also CPR, anaphylaxis and asthma trained. These courses are refreshed every twelve months with the full first aid training completed every three years. Educator's have also completed child protection training and yearly refreshers through Bravehearts, Safe Sleep Training yearly refreshers through Red Nose, food handler yearly refreshers through do food safely and covid-19 infection control training.
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